All 'Bout Chickens Horizontal Waterer Question

[skylavaulter]

She has buckets for sale on her website "in 2, 4 and 6 nipple configurations". If I buy the largest bucket (3 gallons) does it already have 6 nipples attached or do I have to buy those separately?Thanks!

How do you all like these? Are they overpriced ($45 for I guess one that's already set up)? How would I heat this for winter?

 

[pdirt]

I would ask the owner of that site about the particulars of the buckets.

Is it overpriced? It is in my opinion. I personally wouldn't pay more than $25 for such a bucket. You can make one of those very inexpensively:

$13 will buy you 5 horizontal nipples (plenty for 25-30 chickens)...buy from ebay or amazon
Free will buy you a bucket, or you can buy one for about $5 (free from your local grocery bakery or deli department)

Total cost: $13-$18 dollars

You will need to drill 3/8" holes for the nipples. If you don't have a drill, likely you have a friend/neighbor/co-worker who does. Offer them some eggs when you have extras in exchange for borrowing their drill or having them drill the holes for you. Clean any straggly plastic threads from the holes and then hand screw in each nipple until snug. They will self-seal and be drip-free.

For winter use, I use a K&H 250W Stock Tank De-Icer (amazon):

 

[Marylani]

I purchased my horizontal nipples from amazon 5 ea for $9. + $11 for shipping total was $20.

Getting a free bucket from family, or I may buy a brand new from Home Depot or Lowe's, depending if I want orange or blue. lol. so that's another $4 or $5 bucks for a 5 gallon if I purchase new.

 

[mrsdelore]

I just bought a bucket, lid and a 4-pack of nipples at Tractor Supply yesterday and made my own for about $10.

 

[skylavaulter]

Ok thank you all! We have plenty of 5 gallon buckets laying around. I'll just buy the nipples and do it myself.

 

[BBrady]

Is it as easy to train them to drink from the nipple as it is to drink from anything else?

 

[Blooie]

I just bought a bucket, lid and a 4-pack of nipples at Tractor Supply yesterday and made my own for about $10.

If you got the nipples at TSC the chances are that they are vertical nipples instead of horizontal. That's all I've seen in both local TSCs I've visited.

Is it as easy to train them to drink from the nipple as it is to drink from anything else?

I had no problems when I switched mine over last year as long as you remove all other water sources first. If they have an alternative that they are used to, being creatures of habit they'll want to stick to that. I had one chicken who went over and checked it out, pecked at the nipples and that was it - training time over. I'll ever go back to any other method of providing water.

Since that very first batch of chicks last year, I now start my little chicks on vertical nipples from day one. I think they are easier for the little guys to trigger. Sure, there's a few more drips in the bottom of the brooder but it's easier to take a spatula and scoop up the damp litter under the bucket than it is to strip an entire brooder when the poopy, litter filled regular waterer gets dumped over. When they are a little older, say 2 weeks or so, then I take out the baby waterer and replace it with the intermediate one, which is a smaller bucket with horizontal nipples. By the time they are in with the flock they already know exactly what they are doing. The baby waterer is cleaned out and put up for the next batch of chicks.


The Littles using the nipple waterers out in their brooder in the run outside. They are a little more than a week old here.



The same batch of chicks at between 3-4 weeks. No problems with the switch. (and yes I know it needs a good cleaning - that's what I was out there doing when they decided to cooperate for a photo!)

Now that they are 6 weeks old, the waterer has been hung back up, which goes a long way toward keeping the nipples cleaner.


And a brand new batch of chicks gets to use the previous groups' waterer, the first hour after they were brought home. As you can see it takes them no time to figure it out.

 

[mrsdelore]

If you got the nipples at TSC the chances are that they are vertical nipples instead of horizontal. That's all I've seen in both local TSCs I've visited.

Yes, I got the vertical ones, which is what I was looking for. What's the benefit of horizontal ones?

I ended up making two smaller hanging bottles to go in my brooder and the chicks went right to it. They figured it out faster than the adult hens, that's for sure!

 

[Blooie]

Horizontal nipples are shaped very differently. They have a small cup right under the metal trigger that holds a bit of water. Because they are mounted on the side of the bucket instead of the bottom, they can't be "bumped into" and drip water. They just don't drip as much, period. But I think the trigger is a little harder for young chicks to push, so for them I use the vertical. If you look at the pictures I posted you can see the horizontal nipple on the blue jug.

 

[kristaschics15]

After a week of having chicks the water has been the most irritating thing! This is definitely something I'm going to consider when they get moved out!